Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis Shows Promise in Clinical Trial By REUTERS

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Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis Shows Promise in Clinical TrialBy REUTERSPublished: November 9, 2004

y Reuters

Patients taking an experimental multiple sclerosis drug developed by Biogen Idec Inc. and the Elan Corporation experienced far fewer relapses in a clinical trial, data released yesterday showed. Analysts said the data could give the drug a dominant market position.

The companies hope the drug, Antegren, will be approved by the end of November based on data from the first year of a two-year trial involving 942 patients.

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The data showed a 66 percent reduction in the relapse rate in patients taking the drug, compared with those taking a placebo. Existing treatments reduce relapse rates by 30 to 40 percent, though Antegren was not directly compared with them.

"Almost all the signs are positive for Antegren's success," said Henry Dummett, senior health care analyst at the World Markets Research Center. "Preliminary clinical trial data have all pointed to Antegren's potential to be safer, more conveniently administered and more effective in treating M.S. than existing treatments."

Elan, based in Dublin, is counting on Antegren, which analysts expect to generate sales of more than $1 billion, to help it recover from a host of problems, including a regulatory investigation and a brush with bankruptcy in 2002.

Biogen, based in Cambridge, Mass., is hoping the drug will take over from its multiple sclerosis drug Avonex, the American market leader, whose growth has been slowing in the face of competition.

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder that affects the central nervous system and can cause blurred vision, weakness, poor muscle coordination and loss of memory and mental functions. It affects more than a million people worldwide.

Analysts expect the market for treatments to grow from about $3.5 billion to about $6 billion over the next few years.

Antegren is the first in a new class of treatments called selective adhesion molecule inhibitors. The drug blocks a molecule known as alpha-4 integrin and prevents inflammatory cells from entering the tissue of the brain.

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